FAQ

Nanzan University is located in Nagoya City in Aichi Prefecture in historic central Japan. Nagoya is a friendly city with all the amenities of a big city without the cost or hassles. It is also a convenient location from which to visit many other places. Bullet trains (shinkansen) take about 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach Tokyo, 30 minutes to Kyoto, and an hour to Osaka. Famous World Heritage registered sites such as Nara, Shirakawa-go, and Kumano Kodo are also relatively close. Centrair, the Central Japan International Airport, also provides links to all major Japanese cities and many cities around the world.

MAP

We have more than 300 international students out of 10,000 students total from over 30 countries. For more details, visit our Number of International Students webpage.

Details about programs we offer can be found on our academics webpages.

There are four types of university-owned dormitories and a homestay program to accommodate international students. Each housing program has its own advantages and features and is designed to create a supportive environment for students. The housing which students can apply for and how to pay rent depend on the programs in which students are enrolled. For more information, see our accommodation webpages.

You can freely wander through our leafy campus, but you cannot enter the buildings. Please go to the General Information and Reception Office near the main gate when you visit our campus, and receive a Nanzan University brochure and campus map. If you have any questions regarding the programs you are interested in, you can visit the Admissions Office from 9am to 5pm weekdays. A campus tour is available by prior arrangement. We also hold Open Campus once a year in July. At Open Campus, you can ask questions to faculty members and take trial lessons.

Nagoya is an affordable city to live in compared to other major cities in Japan. Although the cost of living varies depending on factors such as housing expenditure and food budget, the average living expenses for international students in the Chubu area are \ 78,000 per month, according to the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO).

Yes. We have more than 100 partner institutions overseas and have exchange programs with these institutions. We are also a member of ISEP, ACUCA, and UMAP, providing students additional study abroad program options. To view the list of our partner intuitions and consortia, see our Partner Institutions webpage.

You don’t need a guarantor at the time of application, but you should be able to demonstrate your ability to pay all tuition, fees, and living expenses for at least the first year of study. Please note that you need a guarantor when you enroll in the University.

Details about visas can be found on the Visa Information webpage.

All undergraduate classes start in April, and the Faculty of Policy Studies also has September entry. As for Graduate programs, it depends on programs and admissions, but students can enter in April or September. For more information, see the Graduate Schools (Japanese) pages.

No. However, about 70 classes in undergraduate programs are offered in English. Students of every faculty can take these courses.

Information on admissions can be found on our Admissions pages.

Most degree programs are delivered in Japanese, so you need to be fluent in Japanese to take those programs. However, some faculties, such as the Faculty of Policy Studies and Global Liberal studies, offer special Japanese courses to help you develop your language skills. Regarding Special Admissions for the Faculty of Policy Studies, no prior knowledge of Japanese Proficiency is required at the time of application. For more information, see our Admissions webpage.

Regarding 【EJU利用型】, you are required to have a minimum Japanese score of EJU. As for 【本学受験型】, you are not required to submit the scores of EJU or JLPT.

No. There is no online application system for International Student Admissions 【本学受験型】 【EJU利用型】, Comprehensive Entrance Examination for the Faculty of Global Liberal Studies [Presentation-based Examination], or Special Admissions for the Faculty of Policy Studies. We request that you fill in or prepare the required documents and submit them by registered special delivery post during the application period. Graduate schools likewise do not accept online applications.

50% tuition fee exemption applies to full-time undergraduate and graduate international students with a Student status of residence. Various scholarships are also available to students. For the scholarships awarded by Nanzan University, application will be processed only after enrolling in each program. There are also scholarships funded by the Japanese government and other trusts. However, please note that even if you receive a scholarship, that funding will not cover all of your tuition. For more details, see our Tuition and Fees or Scholarships webpages.

To download the application forms, visit the Undergraduate Admissions webpages (Japanese) and the Graduate Admissions webpages (Japanese).

97% of graduating students find employment (as of 2019). Details can be found on our Career webpage.

Regarding undergraduate programs, International Student Admission 【EJU利用型】 and Special Admission for the Faculty of Policy Studies, only document screening is required so you do not have to come to Japan; so is the Admission Examination for Overseas Residents of graduate school entrance examination.

It depends on the program whether you need to find a professor or not. Please contact us at: ml-grad@nanzan-u.ac.jp

As its name suggests, the Intensive Japanese Program focuses upon quickly developing students’ Japanese language skills with two one-hundred-minute classes each day. Six levels of classes are from beginner to advanced, and students can also take many content- and skills-based Japanese seminar courses. Students can also take content classes taught in English to broaden their knowledge of Japan.

On the other hand, the Modern Japan Program fosters and deepens students’ knowledge of Japan through discussion and lecture courses taught in English, and augmented with practical fieldwork project classes that take students outside the classroom and into the real world of contemporary Japan. At the same time, students develop their Japanese language skills with one one-hundred-minute language class each day. Two levels of Japanese are offered in the Fall and three in the Spring.

Both programs offer classes for beginner level students, but the starting level and learning pace are different.

The lowest Japanese class in the Intensive Japanese Program assumes that students already know hiragana and katakana and have a very basic knowledge of kanji. Moreover, as two one-hundred-minute language classes are provided each day the pace of the course is quite fast, so students will quickly develop their language skills.

By contrast, the lowest Japanese class in the Modern Japan Program starts with students learning hiragana and katakana; however, the next level for students assumes that students already know them and have a basic knowledge of kanji. The pace of learning is more relaxed in the Modern Japan Program, as students take only one one-hundred-minute language class each day.

The Fall Semester of the Center for Japanese Studies starts in September, and the Spring Semester starts in January. For more information, including application periods and admissions criteria, see the CJS Admissions or CJS Academic Calendar webpages.

No, you must be enrolled in CJS when you apply for the Nanzan Scholarship and complete at least one semester of Japanese language study at CJS at the time the award is granted.

We only accept online applications. Please go to the CJS Admissions webpage and apply during the application period.

Yes, you can use a credit card. You may use PayPal as well.

No, there is no handling fee charged. The application fee is the only fee we collect.

Yes, please apply at the CJS Office after you are admitted. Students must meet academic requirements at CJS for the extension.

The information on the accommodation for CJS students can be found on our accommodation webpages.

You will be allowed to move into your accommodation after the first suggested day of arrival announced by the CJS Office. As for the end of your stay, you will be able to stay until the end of the month when the program ends, but no longer.

For the safety and welfare of our international students, Nanzan requires all full-time students to apply for the following insurances.

Japan National Health Insurance is a requirement for all residents of Japan, which covers 70% of most medical and dental fees. Since Japanese health facilities generally do not accept foreign insurance policies upon payment, all charges will be asked to be paid at first without this insurance. Procedures to enroll in the JNHL will be explained at the orientation.

Accident Insurance for Student Education and Research is mandatory for all Nanzan students to enroll. This insurance is to cover for any physical injury or damage caused as a result of accidents that may occur while students are engaged in education or research at the university, while commuting to school, or during transit between school facilities.